Arts Entrepreneur of the Month

Are you a budding arts entrepreneur? Do your family and friends come to you for that special accessory, gift, or talent for which you’re known?

Send Arts Live information about you and what you do, and you could be featured as the Arts Entrepreneur of the Month!

Ariana Katz, Ariana Makes Things (For You!)

For many years, and inspired by both family history and a certain American tradition, Ariana Katz has been knitting beautiful apparel and accessories for both loved ones and clients. With practice and a keen eye for patterns, Katz has turned her love of knitting into a business full of professional quality, truly lovely items, from hats and scarves to iPod cases. She even does custom orders for the discerning customer!

I sat down with Ariana to find out a little bit more about what inspires her.

Sarah Merriman: So, why knitting? How did you get into it?

Ariana Katz: I come from a family history of people who made stuff. My grandmother, my mom, now me. Plus, my grandparents worked in the garment industry.

SM: There was also a Super Bowl, right?

AK: Yes. I learned how to knit during the 2005 Super Bowl. I wasn’t really into football – that’s still true.

SM: Why did you decide to turn this skill into a business?

AK: Really, people were asking me to buy what I was making. I was knitting things for my family and friends and people saw me knitting and asked if they could buy something. In 11^th grade, I had a run of making 3D cartoon iPod cases.

SM: Really? Like what?

AK: I made a VERY lifelike Cookie Monster case. It even had cookies on the back. MY classmates were very encouraging.

SM: Why do you choose to focus on hand to hand selling?

AK: I like to sell my things because it’s neat to supplement my income this way. The DIT “ethic” is very meaningful to me and selling things myself is part of that. Etsy (an online marketplace which sells handmade crafts) ends up being a full time job, and I really enjoy communicating with people, helping them pick out what they want, designing a custom order.

SM: What about the craft fair circuit?

AK: Craft fairs are a whole new game. You have to anticipate what to make, what people will want at a certain time, in a certain context.

SM: How arduous is production?

AK: If I’m designing a new pattern, it takes a couple of tries to get it right. It really depends on the complexity. But I’ve also banged out a cowl in a party before. Sometimes I feel too rushed, but even when I am knitting quickly, there’s pride in being able to produce something so quickly.

Check out Katz’ warmth-giving knittery on arianamakesthings.com

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Sarah Merriman loves being surrounded by, and writing about, people with talent, who also happen to be her friends. When she’s not camped out in front of her computer screen, which is the norm, she’s probably being a reckless biker or eating a dinner that’s better than yours. Reach her via Twitter:  @sarahmerra